Regarding the power of religion over emotions

[drfuzzy]

As someone who used to believe in God and was a christian, I have a question, specially to ex-believers, now atheists.

I used to do the common religious activies such as praying, and believing I had a personal relationship with God. In many points through my life, I thought God had helped me, and thta he was always watching over me. These kind of believes and activities can cause some very strong emotions over a person.  Very positive emotions. It makes you feel safe, strong, energetic, and that you can accomplish anything in your life. It helps you overcome hardships, control negative emotions, etc.

After becoming an a atheist, all of these emotions are gone. Maybe not completely, but not to the same extent. Now I feel more insecure, since I know God is not protecting me. I dont feel like an accomplish anything, since I am not all powerful and God isnt helping me. It is now harder to have a positive outlook of life and the future since there is no God. This idea of God is extremly powerful, and I see almost no way of compete against it only with reason and force of will. 

I have been wondering if some ex-believers have reached the same level of "positive emotions" if you may call it, only by force of will and reason. 

Just as an anecdote, a few times I have pretended to talk to God as an atheist, and I feel some positive force on me. Perhaps I was so accustomed to this in the past, that it still lingers on me. And please, I dont want any believer telling me it is the power of God telling me to believe again.

It's a function of simple human social group-think.  When you are a member of a group that holds a set of beliefs, and builds group rituals around those beliefs, and expects you to adhere to certain rules, you comply in order to be accepted.  When you are surrounded by adults and those in control of the group that are preaching certain beliefs (that you must accept in order to remain a member of the group) you incorporate those beliefs into your own behavior.  Being a member of a group, by itself, provides comfort.  The messages given in xtian groups are meant to be comforting:  IF YOU COMPLY, you are special to the all-powerful creator of the cosmos. You are better than the non-believers, who are everywhere.  You get the support of the group members while alive, and after you die, you will have everything you could ever want forever.  
   (Reminded me of a line in a Holy Thursday hymn yesterday:  "I who made the moon and stars now kneel to wash your feet".)

I was raised Pentecostal.  I feel the pull when friends lose loved ones - ah, it would be comforting to say "you'll see him again" and "he's with god and no longer in pain".  But the only part I can believe now is that "he's no longer in pain".  

And GC clearly ignored the last line in your post, as usual.  Any time an atheist describes a religious upbringing, he brings up that "you were never a xtian" crap.  I got it too.